A small party between girls
by Belmene
Summary: Revised version! Laura, Jennifer, Amelia and Teyla play poker and debate about men. / With the help of planet p with the polishing of the English translation.


"**Small party between girls"**

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Disclaimer****: I don't own **_**Stargate: Atlantis**_** and the characters. I am writing for entertainment purposes only, not monetary gain or any form of profit.**

**Rating****: T**

**Spoilers****: after season 5.**

**Author's Note****: I'm French. And I don't speak English fluently and I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to Planet p, author of lot of stories on this site, because she helped me to translate this story. So this is the new version. I hope you will enjoy!**

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Laura Cadman's room – Atlantis – 8 pm**

"Hi, you two! You are very punctual!" said Laura Cadman holding a huge bowl full of chips in one hand and in the other, a bottle of rum.

Teyla and Dr Keller stood at the threshold, visibly delighted with the reception.

"Come in and take a sit! Make yourselves at home, I haven't finished preparing the punch."

"I suggested to Teyla that she join us, she was eager to see what this type of party between girls is like..."

"No problem, Jen! Teyla, welcome to my room!" Laura said, inviting them to enter.

Then, whistling, she went back to the little kitchenette she'd set up. From the looks of it so far, this evening would prove to be a very pleasant one indeed.

Amelia Banks had already sat down at the table and had begun to shuffle the cards.

"Good evening!" she greeted her future opponents. "It's great that you came, Teyla! I heard that you're leaving in two days on the _Phoenix_ to return to the Pegasus Galaxy."

"Yes, I miss Torren and Kanaan," answered the Athosian woman. "The journey will be long but I really must see them."

Jennifer Keller put her hand on her friend's shoulder to console her.

"I'm sure they're OK, Teyla, don't worry. You will see them soon."

"I know," the Athosian smiled sadly. "In the meantime, what's the plan for us this evening, Lieutenant Cadman?"

Laura came back from the kitchen with some provisions: chocolates, chips and, naturally, four glasses filled with punch.

"Where did you find this rum, Laura?" Jennifer smirked.

Cadman sighed.

"Because we are stranded here in the middle of the San Francisco bay, without any Wraith, Genii, Assuran, tiny parasites or impending world wide catastrophe, I went shopping on the mainland. I escorted Mr Woolsey to an interview with the Military General Staff in special delegation to Frisco. They are deciding what to do with Atlantis. The city is hidden now but it can't stay like this for very long without a new energy source. The short-term objective is to find a new ZPM and they're counting on SG-1 for that. Imagine the citizens' surprise at seeing a legendary floating city in the middle of the bay! Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard and Ronon would very much like to join the SG-1 team," Cadman pronounced these last words throwing a glance of collusion to Amelia which didn't go unnoticed by Jennifer and Teyla.

"On the subject of John and Ronon, where are they this evening?" asked Jennifer.

"They were going to watch a movie in town. Ronon was eager to see what San Francisco looks like," answered Teyla.

"And McKay?" Amelia questioned Jennifer.

"He's working on a new program which could allow increased economy of the city's available energy … I summarise because when Rodney explained it to me, I'm sure I missed out quite a lot…" Jennifer replied with a smile.

"Well!" Banks rubbed her hands, "we have cocktails and food, so girls, let's play!"

Teyla sat down next to Amelia. On the other side of the table, Jennifer and Cadman did the same.

"Do you know how to play Teyla?" questioned Laura Cadman, piling her tokens methodically.

"Yes, John taught me. He says that I am very bright to keep my head. According to him, it's a necessary quality in this kind of game."

"Indeed," answered Cadman.

"We're playing Texas hold'em. I deal cards," Amelia said. "Little blind starts at ten. Big blind is twenty."

Each of the players placed their bets.

Laura Cadman stood up and went to rummage momentarily in her cupboard, from which she took an old used Stetson. Her three accomplices looked at her with stupefaction.

"What! It's my lucky charm!" she exclaimed. "You'd better drink your cocktails and let me strip you of your money, girls!"

Each woman drank a mouthful of the gold-coloured cocktail prepared by Cadman.

Teyla pulled a face.

"There's alcohol in this! I can feel it!"

"Of course! It's a punch cocktail!" Cadman replied

"I'm avoiding drinking alcohol, lieutenant."

"So force yourself!" the military woman exclaimed. "Tonight, it's party time! There aren't any men and we're going to have fun playing poker, just us women, so be cool, Teyla!"

"Laura is right," Dr Keller added, sipping the punch with delectation.

"OK, five cards," Amelia continued. The technician aligned three cards face up in the center of the table. Amelia, Jennifer and Teyla stared at the cards with unbelieving eyes.

"Ok, I know…" Laura sighed briefly. "It's not a classic card game… But it's all I could find in only one afternoon, I swear! Lieutenant 'Morticia Addams' Cooper lent the cards to me. She's a great fan of monsters and the supernatural, you know… It's this or nothing! All that we have to do is to learn the significance of each of the cards!"

Cadman took back all the cards and presented them to her partners apparently very amused.

"Look, the court cards are famous monsters, and the numbered cards are small drawings. For example…" She took out several cards to demonstrate. "Kings are Frankenstein's monsters, a bloody axe with pieces of brains takes the place of 8, decapitated heads instead of 9…"

Teyla and Jennifer gazed at the scene, very amused. Cadman continued her demonstration without stumbling.

"Queens are wonderful vampirella-medusas…"

"Don't you find this one looks like a Wraith?" asked Amelia, pointing her finger at one of the bristly, long-haired characters displayed on the cards.

Jennifer and Teyla agreed. They each drank another mouthful of punch. Everybody was relaxed, smiling. The city was on Earth. Everybody was safe. Laura Cadman felt invaded by a soothing heat – probably because of the massive dose of rum skilfully hidden by a learned dosage of fruit juice – and she was simply happy to be with her friends.

"Fantastic party!" she exclaimed.

OoooooooooooO

**Laura Cadman's room – Atlantis – 9 pm**

Lieutenant Cadman raised her Stetson with a fingertip. Her eyes were aimed at the unmoving face of Teyla. The two women had dashed into a merciless duel.

"Fifty," Cadman said, pushing her tokens towards the impressive heap already amassed in the center of the table.

"I follow…" answered Teyla, imitating her.

Cadman sighed and massaged her neck.

"You are bluffing, Jodie," she murmured to Teyla, raising an eyebrow.

The Athosian frowned.

"You've drunken too much, lieutenant, my first name is Teyla, don't you remember?"

Amelia pulled Cadman's hat down over her eyes and leant towards Teyla.

"Cadman is a fan of poker and film. She is hinting at the film 'Maverick' with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster," explained Amelia. "Jodie Foster plays the role of a swindler…"

"I have not watched this movie," answered the Athosian. "And I never bluff."

Cadman straightened her Stetson, fiddled with her cards one last time and dashed:

"OK, fifty to see your game!"

Teyla put in her tokens and spread her cards in front of her. All heads bent to admire four vampirella-medusas lined up on the tabletop.

Cadman threw her cards furiously in the direction of Amelia. Jennifer applauded, screaming congratulations for Teyla. Cadman got up abruptly and filled all the glasses with punch.

"You don't drink enough, Teyla, that's why you win non-stop," she added.

"Finally, I find this cocktail so delicious!" Teyla said with mockery. Then, with a childish excitement, she returned both hands to the mountain of tokens in front of her.

Jennifer exploded into laughter, imitated by Amelia and Laura Cadman.

The atmosphere in the room began to greatly warm. Because of the alcohol, the four women were perfectly relaxed and the conversation was joyful and pleasant. They got to know each other better and took complete advantage of the moments of pure leisure.

Suddenly, Jennifer Keller's beeper vibrated. She took the device from her pocket and peered at the bluish screen.

"It's Rodney," she revealed to the group, "he wants to know where I am… I left my communicator in my bedroom so that we'd have some peace and quiet."

"Tell him you're not available for a cuddle right now," Cadman suggested in a mischievous voice.

Jennifer smiled and sent her answer to the scientist. Teyla tidied up her fortune by piling the small heaps of tokens together. Laura Cadman had finished her glass and, presently, stood up to serve pour herself another.

"Honestly, Jennifer, how can you bear that man!"

"Laura!" Amelia growled.

"What?" the lieutenant replied with a sheepish face. "It's true! OK, he's cute, very intelligent, and he rescued the planet four or five times, but he is also an arrogant person, a hypochondriac, a cynic, and he always has answer to everything, and he's as resistant to physical effort as Zelenka."

Banks shook her head in exasperation. Teyla flashed her with a disapproving look. Only Jennifer showed a big smile.

"Yes! He's my Rodney!" she exclaimed without any hostility in her voice.

"You are really in love, aren't you?" Cadman said.

"I'm in love and, after all, the choice is mine!"

Cadman took a chocolate and looked at the candy with envy.

"I prefer Carson Beckett," Laura replied, greedily putting the chocolate in her mouth. "Actually... His clone... But it's still Dr Becket, isn't it?"

The punch began to muddle up her ideas. She sighed in pleasure, closing her eyes.

"He is so beautiful. And he kisses magnificently."

"What! He kissed you?" Jennifer asked, amazed.

Teyla tilted her head toward the lieutenant with the same surprised glance.

"Yes, ah… no… I mean…" Laura stared at Dr Keller with this crazy feeling of wanting to laugh with envy. "I kissed him when I was in Rodney's body."

Jennifer waited patiently for an explanation. Laura Cadman smirked.

"Tell her…" Amelia said with a grin.

"It was before your arrival, Doc. During a mission, Rodney and I were dematerialized by a dart then rematerialized by Zelenka. The problem was that our two consciousnesses became lodged in the same body… in a single body: McKay's. This arrangement lasted for a few days then everything ended well. I kissed Carson just before returning to my own body. I would have been able to do it later, but that would have been less funny. You should have seen McKay's face. Twenty for me!"

"He has never spoken to me about it!" retorted Jennifer, a little bit disappointed. "I follow you, Laura."

"Much too embarrassing for him!" answered Amelia. "I follow, too…"

"John also kissed me once," added Teyla with her quiet and composed voice.

The scoop came as a bombshell.

"Wow… It's THE revelation!" stammered Cadman. "Teyla! You need to give us details!"

"I follow… and I put in ten more…" Teyla said.

"TEYLA!" Amelia begged, apparently very excited by this new crunchy information.

Teyla sighed.

"He was not himself… He had been contaminated by Carson's retrovirus and he was being slowly transformed into a Wraith…"

"So, how was it?" Jennifer asked curiously.

Teyla smiled and arranged her cards. The three women were hanging onto her every word, waiting with suspense to hear what she revealed next.

"Very intense," whispered the Athosian.

Cadman placed her two hands on the table.

"I knew it! Sheppard always had feelings for you! Although at some point, I suppose he liked Dr Weir very much…"

Certainly, the effect of the punch had freed tongues and spirits.

"Laura!" Amelia growled once again.

"Amy, please! Let me express out loud what everybody thinks! There's an extreme sexual tension in this city! Men and women living together 24 hours on 24! And I, I want to say that the lieutenant colonel is hot! But maybe not so hot as… Ronon! I bet 100 and I want to see all your cards!"

All eyes turned to Amelia who became red as a tomato, her face lowered to her cards.

"Ronon interests you Amelia?" asked Jennifer with a small pointed laughter.

Laura Cadman did not leave her friend the time to answer.

"She's mad about him!"

"Shut up, Laura…" Amelia sighed, with a vexed look. "You drank too much."

"And now, Doc, seeing as you've managed to make him understand of a friendly fashion that you're not interested in him, it's good for her!"

Amelia remained silent. Teyla drank a mouthful of punch and Jennifer Keller looked at Amelia with a compassionate face. The doctor added with a reassuring voice:

"I am definitively in love with Rodney. I don't say that I've never thought about a relationship with Ronon, and, effectively, it would seem that Ronon had, for his part, had feelings for me. But…"

Amelia listened attentively to her.

"… Just as Laura said, I made it clear to him that I was not interested. I have learnt to love Rodney, his qualities and his insuperable defects," she added. "Ronon is a handsome man but Rodney has…"

"A pair of sticky balls with spines!" Cadman exclaimed.

Jennifer was open-mouthed. Teyla and Amelia wavered for a moment, their expressions doubtful. Cadman was apparently very enthusiastic. She stirred in her chair and went to dig up a handful of chips.

"And I add… Three one-legged gnomes! I have a full house! Gnomes and sticky balls! Do you have better than this?" she asked, bringing down her game with delight.

Three pairs of eyes came to set their gazes on Cadman's spread cards. The tension of the previous conversation dissolved suddenly. The four women began to laugh and the improbability of Laura's full house was applauded.

OoooooooooooO

**Laura Cadman's room – Atlantis – 10 pm**

"I think I'm going to have a break with the punch," Teyla said, trying to put out the fire in her cheek with an ice cube.

"Drinking... is bad for us and I know because I am a doctor of medicine," Keller articulated laboriously.

Apparently Jennifer Keller was a little bit drunk and she wasn't the only one…

"Is it a custom spread on Earth to talk about these things between women?" Teyla asked suddenly.

"What?" Cadman replied. "Oh! You mean talking about sex?"

"All the time," Amelia nodded. "Girls like to share their opinions and their feelings… I bet 30 more."

"It's very personal," answered Teyla. "I bet 30, too…"

"It's also very instructive," added the lieutenant. "We compare positions, performances… For example, I'm sure that Beckett must be extremely soft and thoughtful when he makes love… This guy is a dream…" She put her face in the hollow of her hands and closed her eyes one moment. Her lascivious euphoria amused her partners.

"Kanaan is also very tender, very tuned in to my desires," Teyla dared.

"I prefer a little more ardour," Amelia said blithely.

"I see…" muttered Cadman. "I am sure that Ronon must be very effective in bed… Sheppard, too… But McKay…" Laura finished with a mocking voice.

Jennifer answered immediately.

"I think you are jealous, Laura! If you want to know everything… Rodney is fabulous in bed!" Keller replied vehemently, abruptly sitting straighter in her chair.

Then, she seemed to lose the thread of the conversation and gazed suddenly at the small blue mountain of tokens near her left hand. She did not remember having won so many tokens this evening! Punch effect…

"Carson Beckett is working in the Infirmary this evening, taking care of emergencies, and the such, Jennifer?" asked Amelia, almost sure of the answer.

It had been a hard past week for Jennifer and she deserved to have some fun.

"Yes…!" Keller jerked before bursting out laughing. For one moment, she fanned her pink cheeks with her two hands and sighed in ecstasy. "Ah! I swear, girls," she continued, "Rodney is a champion! It's a secret… but sometimes…" She leaned forward, toward her friends and whispered, "In the heat of the action… He murmurs two or three quantum physics theories and it makes me take off."

Cadman collapsed on the table. Teyla tried to visualize the scene… Amelia stared at the doctor with round eyes.

Then, Jennifer looked at her friends with a puzzled face:

"If you talk about this, I shall deny everything!" she said, pointing to each woman seated around the table. Then, she gobbled up three chocolates and smiled with her mouth full.

Amelia and Teyla supressed an uncontrollable urge to laugh tried to identify the viscous tiny creature decorating her most right card. A 5 or a 6 ?

The alcohol had worked its magic on them, it seemed.

Neither any chips nor any chocolates had survived. The punch either, moreover. Night was falling on the City of Atlantis. Corridors were deserted and only the only sounds were those of laughter and shouts resounding through Section 5 of Level 3.

OoooooooooooO

**Laura Cadman's room – Atlantis – 10.30 pm**

"Two pairs! Corpse in decomposition and torn away ears… I think…" Teyla announced proudly. "Do you have something better, Amelia?"

The gate technician was musing, her eyes shining like stars.

Cadman put her hand on her friend's arm.

Amelia jumped in her chair.

"What?" she stammered.

"I'm sure that he's as gentle as a lamb under his caveman's look… and his buttocks!"

Amelia's mind returned suddenly to the poker game they were currently playing.

"Oh… sorry… I was…" Banks tried to explain.

"Fantasizing over a Satedan?" Keller said.

"Ronon is a very attractive man," commented the Athosian. "And he's not as surly as he likes to put forth. He hides a very moving sensibility sometimes. I think he must be very warm and tender in love."

"Ok, I agree with you…" Laura smirked. "And with Ronon, you have a sturdy hairy man! But in my case, I would be afraid of one thing: that he suffocates me unintentionally when we make love! Or that he breaks my leg!"

"Laura…" Amelia sighed.

"And he's often bad-tempered!" Cadman added. "Imagine this… You want to nibble his ear lovingly and you find yourself pressed to the wall with his gun on your temple!"

"I adore being pressed to the wall," replied Amelia with a big smile.

Jen and Teyla gazed at Amelia with amazed faces. Then, Cadman exclaimed:

"No, no, girls… Carson Beckett is the perfect man!"

"If he's so perfect, why don't you try your luck Laura?" Amelia asked her friend with a mocking voice.

"And you with Mister Crazy Dreadlocks!" Cadman answered dryly.

Then, the three women saw Jennifer Keller slowly get up, leaning firmly on the table for support.

"I have to lay down now," she said breathily.

"Hey! You're not going to vomit, Doc!" the lieutenant laughed, removing her Stetson.

Teyla and Amelia helped Jen to Laura's bed and lay her to rest comfortably.

"Jennifer, you're OK?" Amelia asked.

"Jennifer?" Teyla tried again.

A small snore came back to them, breaking the silent expectation of both women.

"She's definitively out of it," Amelia murmured.

"My one-legged gnomes are dancing the Samba at this moment," Cadman said, contemplating her cards, shifting wildly before her eyes. "I think I'm going to put water on my face…" She looked at Amelia who answered her with a smile. "And I'm going to drink a glass of water…" she added.

The gate technician returned to the table and collected the cards. Apparently, the poker game was over. She got ready to tidy up the empty glasses but a cry of pain reached them from the kitchenette, immediately followed by recurrences of swearwords.

"Crap!" Cadman roared, pressing on her left index finger with her right hand.

Blood began to seep from between her fingers, falling to litter the floor with splotches of red. Immediately, Teyla was beside the lieutenant.

"Laura, you're hurt?" Amelia asked, joining them.

Teyla tried desperately to examine Cadman's finger but the military woman skipped on the spot, cursing her kitchen knife.

"Let me see, lieutenant!" the Athosian barked.

The wound was deep and required some stitches.

"You must go to the Infirmary," Teyla said. "And Jennifer is…"

Keller was laid out across the bed, her head buried in Cadman's pillow.

"…She is squatting in my bed," Cadman finished. She had taken back the spirits in light of the growing mass of blood dirtying the towel brought by Amelia.

"Be happy, Laura," the technician told her. "You're going to see your dear Carson…"

Cadman rolled her eyes. She was not sure arriving at the Infirmary fairly drunk with a lacerated finger was quite the image she wanted to project.

OooooooooO

**The Infirmary – Atlantis – 11 pm**

"OK, that was the last!" Carson Beckett said, finishing the fourth stitch.

Before going to the Infirmary, the lieutenant had wanted to take a shower and fix her make up. She'd given up in front of Amelia and Teyla's implacable faces.

"Perfect, Dr Beckett. You are incredibly talented." Laura gazed at him. "I didn't feel anything…"

Then, Carson Beckett blushed and stammered:

"Yeah… humm…Thank you… It's just a couple of stitches… and… humm… I anesthetized the zone… humm… So…"

"Your anesthesia was fantastic," Cadman said with an ecstatic breath.

Amelia decided she'd lend the poor doctor a helping hand.

"Well, if you're off the danger list, I think that we can go back to your room…"

"No! You know, I've lost so much blood… I feel tired." Cadman winked at her friends. "I think I'm gonna stay with Dr Beckett… You, you can go to sleep! That's right, doctor?"

Carson Beckett stayed open-mouthed as the two grinning women left the Infirmary.

OooooooooO

The two women walked slowly through the silent corridor.

"I think I'm going to get some fresh air on a balcony," Amelia decreed. "Maybe I'm 'alcohol-proof' but I need to oxygenate my surviving neurons after this evening."

"May I come with you?" Teyla asked.

"Of course!" the gate technician answered with benevolence. "But before that, I'm going to return to my bedroom to take a jacket and I would like to drink some tea… Are you tempted?"

"An excellent idea."

They went to the teleporter at the end of the corridor.

OoooooooooooO

The warm earl grey tea brought her a sensation of intense well-being. Teyla savored the peace of the beautiful night, listening to the soft lapping of waves below. The Golden Gate's lights sparkled and the sky was totally cloudless. She looked up at the unique moon sitting among the stars as if they were a throne.

In spite of the glimmer spread by the wall lamps flanking the balcony, Amelia noticed the Athosian's sad face.

"You are going to meet your family again, Teyla."

"I don't look at the same sky as my son… Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right decision… You know… Rejoining the team…"

Amelia took a deep breath before answering.

"I think you made the right choice. For your son, for Kanaan. Torren can be proud of you. He can be proud to have a mom who fights everyday to ensure peace and save the lives of innocent people."

Teyla turned her head to face the technician with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Amelia."

In the distance, the subdued noises of San Francisco resounded. An American city… On Earth.

"I'm happy to speak with you about this, Amelia. Previously, I would have gone to find a little comfort in Elizabeth Weir…" Teyla sighed. "I miss her…"

"I had so much respect for her. Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard must be also very affected by her loss."

Teyla closely examined the coast in front of her.

"He is. But he wants to let nothing show through. It's not easy for him to express his feelings… Just like Ronon," she added.

Amelia bit her lip.

"We greet each other in corridors," the technician sighed. "We even ate side by side recently; naturally with Cadman, McKay, Chuck and Sheppard!"

Teyla drank another mouthful of tea. She had deliberately diverted the conversation onto Ronon. Amelia needed her turn to confide.

"Since Michael's attack, I must say I think of Ronon a little more frequently…"

"He did not interest you before?"

Amelia laughed.

"Come on, Teyla! He's Ronon Dex!"

Teyla agreed.

"You know, Ronon and I, we are only friends. Ronon is often boorish, rough, but he can be very attentive and soft with people he appreciates. Moreover, he wouldn't hesitate to risk his life for all of us. His wife's death profoundly touched him, quite as his team members' loss on Sateda."

Amelia revolved suddenly towards the Athosian woman.

"His wife?" she asked with surprise.

"Yes. Her name was Melena. She was looking after hurt civilians in a hospital when an explosion killed her in front of Ronon."

Amelia realized something evident.

"Dr Keller…" she murmured.

Teyla didn't answer.

"Ronon is a good man, Amelia. He's also a human being. Loneliness must be difficult to bear whatever he says about it. When Jennifer chose Rodney, he was hurt. He needs time. He doesn't want to suffer anymore."

"I know what he feels…" Amelia muttered.

_Two years of a chaotic marriage*… A painful separation…Two unforgettable years for the technician… This failure and…_

"Does your family live far from here?"

_The moment had come. Sooner or later, it would have been necessary to approach this part of her life._

"My parents and my brother died in a car accident when I was 12 years old. My father was a pilot in the Air Force,*" Amelia pronounced these last words with a light quaver in her voice. "My aunt brought me up and she died of cancer three years ago. I don't have forefathers anymore."

Teyla sent her a compassionate glance.

"I'm sorry Amelia."

"At least, I wasn't tracked down by the Wraith! I'm fine, Teyla. My family is here now. Cadman is unbearable but she's an extraordinary girl. She's a good soldier and a loyal friend. I'm feeling good here."

Teyla took the hand of the younger woman and tightened hers around it.

"I'd be very honored to count you among my sincere friends, Amelia."

The technician felt the sweet warmth of Teyla's fingers.

"Me too, Teyla."

The Athosian profoundly inhaled the vivifying marine breeze and said:

"Would you be interested in a small session of meditation before going to sleep?"

"With great pleasure!"

"I will tell you how Ronon harassed me recently to know if you were a bachelor girl," she added with a mischievous look.

OoooooooooO

**Corridor of level 6 – Atlantis – midnight**

"You know, intimidation is a very important thing," Sheppard said.

"Humm…" Ronon growled. "I don't find his mewing very intimidating."

The lieutenant colonel looked at the Satedan with a stunned glance.

"Ronon! His style! Bruce Lee is THE boss!"

The Satedian pouted.

"He's fast," Ronon added without conviction.

"You're joking!" John rebelled." Did you see how he cleaned the dojo in the middle of the movie?"

Sheppard sketched some movements with his arms to illustrate his theory. "Clash, pow, fizzz!" He gestured, rubbing his thumb several times against his nose, 'trademark' of his idol.

The two men had drawn closer to the training room when the light noises of impact reached them suddenly. Noises of a fight.

They stopped in front of the door and Sheppard looked at his watch.

"Who can be training at this hour?"

"Let's go and see," Ronon answered. "Maybe it's your friend Bruce Lee who wants to give you a lesson!"

They opened the door and their gazes fell on an amazing show. Teyla Emmagan versus… Amelia Banks. Both women wore adequate clothes for a hand-to-hand fight: a comfortable long-line bra and a split skirt for Teyla; a black lifejacket and fluid, linen pants for Amelia.

It was only faced with the two women together that Sheppard became aware of their strange physical resemblance. They had arranged their hair so they looked like sisters.

"John… Ronon… you're back!" Teyla said without taking her eyes off her sparring partner, Amelia.

"The movie was interesting?" Amelia asked keeping her concentration.

Their breaths were jerky, proof that they'd been engaged in the fight for some time already. Without waiting for Sheppard's answer, Amelia rushed at her opponent, pulling several punches avoided by Teyla skillfully. She continued with a returned kick that was also avoided by the Athosian, but with more difficulty.

Teyla took back her position with a great smile.

"Not bad…" she said.

Amelia's heart beat very hard. Ronon was here. He looked at her. The Satedan sat in a corner of the room to admire the fight. She had to remain concentrated on Teyla and especially on each of her movements. She knew that the Athosian was redoubtable.

Sheppard had joined Ronon and was also savoring this moment of pure happiness: two magnificent women, with goddesses' bodies, gleaming and tanned skin, pulpy mouths, fighting with ardour in front of him… Several images came into his mind: Mud… Bikini… Handcuffs…

Teyla's composed voice brought him out of his hot meditations.

"I didn't know you could fight like this, Amelia!" the Athosian said.

"I train with Cadman sometimes in a room on Level 2, and sometimes with Evan Lorne."

Teyla tried to reach the young woman's shoulder and stomach but her attacks were countered. Then the Athosian's foot flew away in the direction of Amelia's face. The technician blocked the attack but Teyla took advantage of it to send a right hook. Amelia collapsed on the ground. Teyla put some steps between them and waited.

"Ouch…What a punch!" Sheppard mumbled.

Ronon smiled. He waited to see Banks's reaction.

"You're OK, Amelia?" Teyla asked.

The technician massaged her jaw and recovered, gaining her feet slowly. She stared at Teyla with an admiring and amused glance.

"Apparently, the effects of the cocktails has disappeared," she replied.

Sheppard and Ronon showed taken aback faces.

"You drunk tonight, Teyla?" the lieutenant colonel exclaimed.

"A little, John. We played poker, just between us girls. None of us were in service, rest assured. Amelia and I decided to come to meditate here before going to sleep but we changed our plans…" Teyla began to move in circle around Amelia.

Ronon hadn't said a word since he'd entered the room. He observed attentively. In fact, he was attentively observing Amelia. He'd already been surprised by the fact that she had resisted so bravely the hybrid during Michael's attack on the city.

Surprised was not the exact word. Rather, intrigued. Since his arrival on Atlantis, he had never really paid attention to her. Too many things going on… Colonel Carter's departure and Mr Woolsey's arrival… Elizabeth's return and her ultimate sacrifice… His fruitless attempt with Jennifer Keller…

Then, Amelia came to see him to the Infirmary while he was recovering from a Wraith's attack on a super-hive. She was a simple woman, full of charm, strong and devoted to her work. She had even made him smile… An extremely rare thing lately.

He lingered over Amelia's slim and muscular body, over her flexible and precise movements, on her nape, her waist…

"Close your mouth, buddy, you're drooling," Sheppard smirked.

Ronon abruptly came back to earth. Amelia blocked Teyla with an arm lock which forced the Athosian to use all her fighter's talents to get free.

Sheppard exulted… He rubbed his hands and murmured to Ronon:

"I bet a carton of beer on Teyla…"

With incredible speed of execution, Amelia gave a powerful kick to Teyla's belly. The Athosian was thrown to the floor unceremoniously.

"Banks is very strong, isn't she, Ronon?" John said as he sent a poke to the Satedan.

"Indeed…" Ronon answered with a hollow tone.

Both of the women were breathless and didn't want to give up. But with a collusive glance, they decided mutually to stop the fight and greeted each other respectfully.

"Wow, ladies… A beautiful demonstration!" Sheppard said as he went to greet them.

Ronon brought the bottle of water he'd found placed near the door and gave it to Amelia.

"Thanks…" she said, drinking greedily.

-"You're welcome," the Satedan mumbled.

"The next time, I suggest you trying bantos," Teyla said as she slipped on her jacket. "But now, I think that I'm going to find my small cosy bed! Would you escort me, John? I'd like to ask you something about my future journey in two days time… Ronon, can you see Amelia off to her room?"

"OK…" Ronon replied, taken by surprise.

Teyla pushed Sheppard to the exit as she winked at Amelia. The gate technician collected her jacket and left the room. Ronon followed her.

"You're not obliged to come with me…"

"No problem," Ronon answered.

OooooooooooO

They walked together in the subdued light of the corridor. Amelia untied her hair and shook her head, her brown locks flowing down over her shoulders.

Ronon felt a strange heat invading his stomach and rising to fill his chest. This sensation… he had felt it only once before in his existence, when he had seen Melena for the first time…

The Satedan slowed down and stopped walking, Amelia continuing without him in the corridor. Then, she stopped too, turned around and smiled to him.

-"Something wrong, Ronon?"

The ex-runner took a deep breath, smiled in his turn and rejoined her.

- "No, I'm fine," he replied, playing with his necklaces.

OooooooooooooO

They arrived finally in front of the Amelia's quarters.

"So…Goodnight, Ronon…"

"Goodnight… and… huummm… If one day, you want to train with me… there's no problem…"

The gate technician nodded and opened her door. She was about to enter when, suddenly, moved by an unusual boldness, she revolved again to face the Satedan:

"Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?" she dared.

Ronon, surprised, replied without faltering,"OK," with an irresistible smile.

Amelia controlled herself, careful not to let her great satisfaction show. She really wanted to throw herself on this incredibly sexy man in front of her.

"Well… Then I'll see you tomorrow…"

She rushed rashly into her room and closed the door. On the other side, out of breath, she tried to calm her palpitations:

"It wasn't so hard..." she murmured with a big grin.

Ronon made his way towards his own quarters and he slowly realized one thing: two words echoed from now in his mind: Amelia Banks.

* * *

-THE END-

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* * *

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*About Amelia's past, I borrowed the idea from journeyman07's fic "Who cares?" – the idea to make Amelia as an orphan. I thought it would be cool if Ronon and Amelia had lots of common points. Their family's death, a new family on Atlantis…

PLEASE REVIEW !


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